A Widening Gap between the U.S. Military and Civilian Society? Some Evidence, 1976-96

~ Although civilian-military relations are central to democratic governance, American interest in the issue has waxed and waned. Until 1945 the United Sates’ favorable geographic position permitted it to demobilize rapidly after each war. The onset of the Cold War almost before the guns of World War I1 had cooled ensured that the United States would maintain a large military establishment. The unprecedented threats arising from the Cold War and the inception of nuclear weapons heightened concerns about relations between the military and civilian society. They also triggered a flurry of important studies on civilian-military relations,’ as well as a warning from retiring President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the